Velankanni A Land Full of Faith and Festivals

Venturing into southern India as a Mumbaikar

Dedicatedly following the 10 to 6 desk job had started getting arduous and no more glittered like gold. So taking a break for a couple of days and embarking on a mission to visit the far flung hamlet Velankanni was quite an attraction. I planned a 14 day trip as a pilgrim along with my sister and got the railway tickets confirmed. This hamlet situated on the shores of the Bay of Bengal starts the celebration of the festival of Our Lady of Good Health from August 29 till September 8 every year. Being a part of Chennai, Velankanni is considered as holy place particularly chosen by Our Lady.

We emplaned the train on August 27 along with all the necessities and a Nikon digital camera. And while the mobile phone was slipped into my jeans pocket, a sling bag around the neck completed the demeanor. Once we crossed Pune, all our eyes met were elegant waterfalls and beautifully tall trees. After a 2 day journey in train, we landed on our destination Nagapattinam at 11 in the morning and headed to find a local bus that would drop us exactly at the Velankanni shrine. Like me there were a million pilgrims jousting to lay hands on a suitable accommodation. After intense hard work and sheer good luck I managed to book a hotel room in A.Y.A Lodge, which is located on the left side of the Basilica. Built in Gothic style of architecture, this Basilica was erected as a tribute to Our Lady. Legend has it that Our Lady safeguarded a bunch of Portuguese merchant sailors from a violent storm that wrecked their ship. As a tribute to Our Lady, these sailors built a permanent chapel and since then it has been expanding.

Living at the feet of Our Lady

Though the climate was mostly humid, light showers did keep the weather cool. Every day at 8 in the morning we went to the church and then had a quick breakfast of either idlis or dosas from the church canteen. Apart from that, we also sipped in coconut water and sometimes filtered coffee. I must agree that the cuisine of this town is quite exquisite. From steaming rice to a variety of curries and rasams to fish fry served on banana leaves, Velankanni has it all. After indulging in a scrumptious lunch, everyday we visited all three chapels of the Shrine Basilica, Our Lady’s Tank, Stations of the Cross and Church Museum. In late evenings we also dipped our feet in the Velankanni Beach and waited for the daily palki. This palki of Our Lady weighs almost as much as a two-storey building and is carried on shoulder by hundreds of men. Prior of this main palki, there are a couple of palki’s of saints and the guardian angel carried by women. Watching this entire procession is a complete bliss and the most awaited time of the day.

However, a major inconvenience there was communicating with the locals. While their mother tongue is Tamil, any thing other than English, Hindi and Marathi is just Greek to me. In spite of this language barrier, my enthusiasm to learn more and more about these people did not fade off. These folks stricken by poverty regard Our Lady as their alpha and omega.

Cherishing the last day

After spending an entire day shopping on the streets of Nagore, we popped into our beds, but were soon woken up by a familiar Hindi music. We learnt that an East Indian competition is being conducted by the people of Mumbai in one of the church compounds. And how could I miss this proud moment? Quickly grabbing the digital camera, I ran towards the sound of music. It was hilarious while some were dancing, others were singing. Tired yet full of fun, I hit the bed and woke up at 4 am. Since it was the feast day, the palki of Our Lady was being carried in the morning itself. This was followed by a feast mass and blessings by the father.

It was noon and time to leave. We had to catch the evening train coursing towards Mumbai. Instead of a pubic transit, this time we booked a private vehicle that dropped us at the Nagapattinam railway station. Once in the train, I pulled out my camera and scrutinized all the videos and pictures of Velankanni. Though this place did not engulf all the hush hush and glamour of city life, it touts of simplicity to the fullest. So next feast of Our Lady of Good Health you can join me at Velankanni with my camera and a plate of idlis.